I Am My Own Worst Enemy
by Blue Phoenix and Coyote
Summary: It takes place after the mayhem of discovering about mutants in society settles down. The senior members from X-men Evolution must now learn to accept their latest member. But is she more of a danger to others, or herself?
1. Meeting Fear

I Am My Own Worst Enemy  
Meeting Fear  
  
As the sun rose above the Xaivier Institute, members of the 'famliy' living there where just awakening to begin another day of their 'normal' lives. After the horror of having the world discover what they are, and after the long battle of getting society to accept them for who they are, these children can finally join their fellow students at school, without fear.  
As the alarm clock by Rogue's bed goes off, Kiddy groggily phases out the door towards the bathroom. She passes by Kurt who just popped into the hallway. Scott is pulling down his sweatshirt as he walks down the stairs to the kitchen. When Scott gets downstairs, however, Logan is not sitting in the kitchen window reading the paper like usual. Scott merely, sleepily brushes this off as he grabs a piece of toast and sits down.  
Slowly, the rest of the senior members of the X-men make their way down into the kitchen. All the latest recruits went home for the spring holiday, whereas the senior members couldn't even get out of bed early enough to catch a train or plane for their homes. Some of the, unfortunately, did not really have a home to go back to.  
As Rogue jumped down three-steps at a time, down the main stairway, she heard a faint sound coming from outside. When she looked up, she saw a large armored truck coming straight down the street towards the Xavier Institute. She was about to run to lock up the gate so that the truck couldn't get through. She didn't understand why, but a sudden surge of fear struck her in the chest when she saw that black truck. That pain was like swallowing a glass of boiling hot water, and feeling the burn in your chest.  
She would have ran to the computer system in the same speed Pietro could make, but was stopped by Xavier himself. He wheeled himself over to the front door at sat their, waiting. By this time the others came out from the kitchen all commenting on the weird pain in their chests, and the sudden adrenaline rush or fear. They came upon Rogue, who had collapsed to her knees in sheer shock of this unknown source of fear.  
When the truck rolled up to the doorway of the Institue, time seemed to have stopped, no one spoke, and not even the rustle of leaves could be heard outside. It would have seemed like death was hovering over the Institute.  
"Bring her forward," the silence was severed abrubrtly by the sound of Prof. Xavier's voice. Three men in padded black suits came out from the front of the truck followed by ten more men in the same garb, making a total of thirteen men who began to cautiously bring out whatever was inside the truck.  
What they pulled out was a metal cage with tempered glass at the front. In the cage was a girl no older than fifteen. She was curled up in the back corner, her face cloaked in the darkness of the cage. When the men set her down in front of the Prof. the X-men could see her very clearly. She was staring into nothing with a dazed, lost expression on her face. Her eyes where cloudy gray that seemed to be in a world of their own. In her arms, she was clutching a strange book. She wore a completely black outfit that covered her feet, ended at her elbows, and the neck went down to below her collerbone with a knotted string in the back. Her hair was a smokey gray with assorted hair wraps with beads on each one. The beads had many strange written characters on them.  
"Prof.," Jean began, "who..is that?" She pointed towards the cage. As she did so the girl moved her gaze to the students. While it still held the emptiness of before, the X-men took a step back seeing fierce anger in those soulless eyes.  
"This," the Prof. began, not even noticing the fear his students wore on the faces, "is Hecate, our newest member of the X-men family." 


	2. Understanding Each Other

I Am My Own Worst Enemy  
Understanding Each Other  
  
Kitty nearly phased through the floor, Jean could have broken all the windows in the institute with the sudden burst in her mind, Scott just barely caught his glasses before they fell off, Kurt jumped on Evan who shot ten spikes out of his back, and Rogue nearly fainted.  
"But Prof." Jean began,  
"Now Jean, and this goes for the rest of you," Prof. Xavier stated calmly, "You will treat her like you do each other, as a part of our family. I will explain the details of our newest member once we get down to the basement," With a slight nod from the Prof., the men hopped into their truck, and disappeared into the distance.  
The Prof. wheeled himself to the main computer system, while the X- men took another step back away from the cage on the ground. He pressed a button on the screen, and an elevator from underneath the cage carried Hecate downstairs.  
"Follow me to the Danger Room," the Prof. motioned for his students to follow him. They followed very slowly, watching the cage make its way down. They kept their eyes locked on Hecate until they were sure she was all the way down.  
They went downstairs, and found themselves in a closed off room with a window made of tempered glass which was held in by metal bars made with diamonds. When Kurt popped into the room, and made sure the door was locked at that nobody could get into the enclosure, the Prof. pressed a button on a panel, which opened Hecate's cage.  
The students held their breath waiting for the horn to sound, signaling that the end was near. But nothing flashy happened. Instead, they could see a shadow slowly moving so that it adjusted its position to easily get out of the cage.  
Hecate slid one arm out that latched onto the side of the cage, and with all her weight on that arm, brought herself, slowly up and out of the cage. As she stood, the dress slid down her pale legs back over her black shoes, covering her feet. She still clutched that strange book in her right arm. Her hair covered most of her face, but slowly it parted to reveal her face. Her complexion was pale, and her dazed, gray eyes were staring off into the ground, gazing at something that wasn't there. She brought her left hand back to her chest and wrapped it around the book she was clutching. She lifted her eyes to the tempered glass window, and stared.  
Everyone in the room, except the Prof. gasped, and jumped back. Although it would seem like she was staring off into the distance, the X- men could see that she was plainly staring at them. Although they did not see, or recognize any emotion in her eyes, they just felt that same cold fear run through their veins.  
"Hecate," the Prof.'s mind broke through the ringing silence that was pounding in their ears. Hecate moved her gaze towards where the Prof. was seated, a reaction hearing her own name. That was the first time any of the X-Men ever saw her gaze directly at something.  
"I would like to welcome you to the Xavier Institute," the Prof. spoke calmly, and softly, for everyone to hear. He left the telepathy path open for his students to hear Hecate's response.  
That only left them with the emptiness of Hecate's mind.  
"I can't read her mind at all. There.isn't anything there," Jean shakily replied to the emptiness that filled the rest of the X-men's heads.  
Quite suddenly, Hecate dropped down to her knees, and brought her head into her chest so that her mouth was right above the book she was holding. Her lips began to move, but no one could hear her. Then, at that moment the entire Institute gave a shake and felt as if a dinosaur was walking above ground. Her hair began to rise around her, and her dress began to rise and fall slowly, as if a breeze was flying about her. The only thing that they could make out from the sudden thundering was,  
"Wyro, Fehu, Hagalaz." Those piercing words shot through the minds of the X-men, despite the soothing voice that was speaking them.  
Then, time seemed to have stopped, and the near impossible glass that separated the students and the Prof. from the frightening new-comer, shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. The enclosure crumbled, and a light that was then followed by darkness blinded them.  
Out of the deadening silence of the dark came a figure that would have blended well into the dark surrounding had it not been for its own light. The students stared up at the figure that now approached the Prof. in frightening grace. When their blindness finally cleared, the X-men braced themselves for the searing pain of fear that they had come to expect. But when they felt nothing, they opened their eyes in confusion.  
Standing in front of the Prof. was Hecate whose eyes were a lighter gray and were no longer in a dazed state. However, they still held no emotion, as her face was also expressionless. The color of her skin had been flushed with a spray of color, and was no longer as pale as the dead.  
"I did not appreciate the separation," Hecate stated quite bluntly, "I you wish to speak to me, do so face to face, without the fear,"  
  
Author's note- So how did you guys like the first chapter? I hope you like this series. I thought I might try another type of story after a really bad first fanfic I had In the Fruits Basket section. Apparently a lot of people had a problem with Mary-Sue's and my adding the year of the Phoenix. Well I would just like to say this, my fanfic, my story, I can do whatever the bloody hell I want with it, so if you don't like what I doing to the anime, don't read it. For all of those that were kind enough to post positive reviews, and who liked it, I should have a new chapter up soon. 


	3. I Don't Know Why

I Am My Own Worst Enemy  
I Don't Know Why  
  
Author's Note: pyroluver- thank you so so much for being my first reviewer, and a positive response, no less. I am gald that you like it, and I will update it, I promise.  
  
Hecate stepped through the newly made door and stood there staring at the Prof., Jean, Scott, Kitty, Evan, Kurt, and Rogue. The Prof. was the first to move, and wheeled himself over to the girl. And he did the most shocking thing, he held out his hand to Hecate.  
"Miss. Hecate, welcome. You have my sincerest apologizes for insulting you," the Prof. greeted warmly. She did not even glance at his hand, but turned her head to him and bowed. The Prof. lowered his hand, smiling. "I would like to introduce the rest of, the now present, students of the Xavier Institute for the Gifted," he waved his hand over to the students, and they slowly stood up, "this is Scott, also known as Cyclops," as the Prof. introduced each of them they walked towards Hecate, and bowed in the same manner she had shown, "Jean-Grey; Kitty Pryde, Shadowcat; Kurt, Night Crawler; Evan Daniels, Spyke; and this is Rogue," Rogue was the last to bow, but she was the only one who did not smile at Hecate when she bowed.  
"What are all of your powers?" Hecate asked with neutral curiosity.  
"I can shoot lasers out of my eyes, the only problem is they would constantly come out if I didn't have these sunglasses on," Scott pointed to his sunglasses as he smiled at the new comer.  
"I have telekinetics, I can move objects with my mind, and can sometimes read others minds. But, I am still inexperienced," Jean giggled a bit at that last remark she made.  
"Me," a mellow poof was heard and Kurt was behind Hecate and then back in front of her, "I can teleport, and because of this horrible mutation, I can use my tail to swing places and even walk on walls and ceilings, and stuff," Kurt smiled wholeheartedly.  
"I can phase through stuff. So I would like to apologize in advance if I phase through you or accidently leave a toothbrush in you if I'm running late," Kitty silently laughed at her comment.  
"I can shoot different sized spikes out of my body, that's where I got my codename from," Evan held up a fisted hand that released a few tiny spikes.  
"Ma power isn't exactly controllable, so don't touch me," Rogue turned around with her eyes closed, as she snapped at Hecate.  
"Rogue," the Prof. exclaimed calmly, "that is no way to treat our new member. Remember, we are a family,"  
"Look, new kid, ah ain't exactly warm and luvin like everyone else, so just stay outta ma way. If ya'll can do that, then you an ah might actually be able to talk in a nice manner. Ya got that?" Rogue spoke with a know-it-all tone, but that did not even phase Hecate.  
"You're the untouchable that I have heard about," Hecate was so blunt and sudden that it caught Rogue and the rest of the students off guard, "You are the mutant that cannot touch another being because when you do, you suck out of them their life force, their memories, and in some cases their powers. Because of your God like gift, you have isolated yourself from others, not allowing anyone to get close to you, know you, or try to understand you," Rogue stared at her with a mixture of pure rage and surprise.  
"I have been waiting to meet you so that I could say to your face exactly what a cowardly fool you are. You say that you are so strong and that you can live without others and get along fine, when really you are weak. There are actually people who can live without the interaction of others, and still be strong. You are like a bratty child that just says this for people to feel sorry for you. You know this yourself, you need the company of others, but you are afraid that if they cannot accept you and do what they have to avoid touching you, they will hate you. You are afraid of rejection. If you cannot stand up to that, then you have no right in acting in such a cocky manner all the time," Rogue was speechless and couldn't even come back with a comeback.  
The rest of the students stared at Hecate and then at Rogue, and where just as surprised as she was. The Prof. looked at his new student with a look of deep thought.  
"As for the rest of you, it was a pleasure meeting you, and Prof., you do not hae to show me to my room, I already know where it is. Goodnight to you all, and a word of advice, do not come anywhere near me during the night, this is for your own safety. If you decide not to head this warning, then I cannot be responsible for my actions," with that Hecate vanished into the shadows making the students jump.  
"It is alright, she has a habit of moving with shadows," the Prof. reassured his agitated students, "And Rogue, please to not make this first meeting the decision maker for your relationship with her in the future. She just has a different way of acting and doing things than the rest of us, and we should try to respect that. The rest of you should follow Hecate, and all go to bed, I will talk to you all later tomorrow morning. Come to the library at 9: 30 ans we shall speak, understand?" The X-men nodded, said their goodnights and went their separate ways to their rooms.  
As each lay in bed, they thought of the events that just happened. They all tried to get a handle on what that fear they felt was. After numerous tries, they gave up, and let the darkness lull them to sleep.  
Two of the X-men, however, were both awake. One brewing in anger, confusion and surprise, the other staring at the moon with a lost glaze in their eyes. 


	4. The Wytch's Creed

I Am My Own Worst Enemy  
The Wytch's Creed  
  
Author's Note: Shadow-Spider- I am glad you like it. About Hecate's power, you were supposed to know in the previous chapters, but in this one you will, at least, get a general idea of what her power is.  
  
The Prof. waited patiently as Kitty and Rogue walked into the library where he, Jean, Scott, Kurt, and Evan were waiting. When they were all together, the Prof. put his hands into his lap and began.  
"I would like to talk to you all about our new family member, Hecate. As you all, already know, she is capable of tremendous power, and I don't think any of you know what her power is exactly, unless you have an idea?" when the silence continued without so much of an "uh" the Prof. continued, "First off, her name, does anyone know what it means, or has even heard of it? No? Well, in Greek mythology, Hecate was the Goddess of witches," everyone in the room gasped.  
"Do you mean, like Wanda? Scarlet witch?" Kurt asked uneasily.  
"Wanda has the ability to hex objects, and channel others' powers so that she can stop that body. No, she is not like Wanda, if anything, she is much, much stronger," when the Prof. received questioning looks from his students, he continued.  
"That book that you saw Hecate clutching all the time, that is her 'Book of Shadows'. Witches, or groups of witches known as covens, follow the Book of Shadows. Either it paced down from witch to witch, or coven to coven; or a witch or coven make their own through trial and error. What the Book of Shadow is, is a book where witches and covens keep their spells, ingredients, chants, and such. The content can vary sometimes, some books may contain information on fortune telling, reading dreams, or using tarot cards. This new student is very mysterious, and has probably given her entire life force to being as powerful as she is now. Although I want you all to work your hardest at making friends with her, do be cautious about her," the X-Men hitched their breath at the same time at this subtle warning of what might happen if they decide to get on Hecate's bad side.  
When they were dismissed, they each went their separate ways to their rooms, because they suddenly where overcome with exhaustion. When Rogue and Kitty made their way to their room, they noticed that one of the doors was a jar. The room had been empty for years because on of the younger students started a rumor that a ghost resided in that room.  
When Kitty noticed a strange color light peaking through the door, she nudged Rogue on the shoulder and pointed to the door.  
They both bent down on their knees to see through the crack into the room. Kitty gasped, and Rogue began to sweat, in the completely empty room was Hecate.  
She was in the same black outfit as when she first came. She was kneeling on the floor surrounded by all the cards in her Tarot Deck. On the outside where strange cards that did not look like tarot cards. They had pictures of animals, mythical creatures, warriors, elements, deities, landscapes, and so forth. Hecate, who was sitting in the center of all of this was glowing a bright gray color, and seemed to be in the same trance she was In when the X-Men first met her. She was facing the window staring at the moon and speaking so quietly that a whisper could not be heard if you were sitting right beside her.  
Besides the air of fear that radiated off the aura of Hecate, both Kitty and Rogue thought that she looked very elegent in this moonlight. It was almost like her pale skin was the light that made the moon shine. Her gray hair that blew around her face made a odd, yet beautiful halo.  
The girls jumped when they heard the bells from inside the room, a sound so soft, you could almost imagine snow flakes falling in an open field. The wind also picked up and dropped so suddenly that it stopped.  
Hecate turned around to the door and locked eyes with Rogue and Kitty. Their bones could have jumped out of their skin if that was even possible, but neither could move. They were transfixed on those glassy gray eyes, who's body was just as still and looked as a beautiful as a cobra ready to strike.  
Hecate raised her palm to face the door, and the door began to creak closed, slowly. The two girls might have been seeing things, or perhaps the shadows on Hecate's face, made by the moon were causing some sort of illusion, but whatever it was.....Kitty and Rpgue could have sworn under oath in a court room, that they saw Hecate smile.  
Even if they did see, it was over in the blink of an eye, for by the time they knew it, the door had already closed. Silently, they made their way back to their room. But, neither could get back to sleep, they had so much that they wanted to tell everyone. 


	5. An Ancient Curse

I Am My Own Worst Enemy  
An Ancient Curse  
  
Scott yawned as he walked down the stairs to the kitchen. He stretched his arms in the air and sighed at the fact that he knew he was the only one up right now. But, he couldn't help it, he woke up suddenly and couldn't fall back asleep, she he caved and decided to get some breakfast.  
As he made his way down the hallway, he heard a crash coming from three doors up in the kitchen. He broke into a run and slammed the door open. There in the kitchen, calmly sitting at the table drinking a cup of hot chocolate, her eyes lowered to a newspaper was Hecate.  
In the window seat was Logan, up and ready to fight. But, from the looks of the kitchen, glass everywhere, cabinet doors off their hinges, dents in the walls ceiling and floor, Logan had already started fighting.  
"Cyclops!" growled Logan, "I found this intruder sittin' in the kitchen this morning at ten. She was actin like she lives here. Come on! Help me get rid of her, but be careful! She's got a few tricks up her sleeve!"  
"Logan! Come on, calm down," Scott said soothingly, "Just listen a minute. That there sitting at the table is our new student, Hecate. You weren't here yesterday when she arrived," At the sound of her name, Hecate looked up at the doorway, as if she just noticed everything that was going on.  
"Good morning Mr. Summers," Hecate spoke neutrally, as if nothing had happened and that she was the only one who had been in the kitchen all morning.  
"Please, Hecate, just call me Scott," he smiled at her, "I would like you to meet a mutant that is a good friend of Prof. X, and the X-Men here, that's Logan, also known as Wolverine," Hecate turned her gaze to Logan who's fist were up, and had straightened up when he saw her look at him.  
"Well, Mr. Logan, it is a pleasure to meet you, and I apologize for any misunderstandings and for surprising you so suddenly," Hecate was still speaking in an empty tone, just as empty as her eyes. Logan flinched, and was silent for a minute before deciding to speak.  
"Yeah, well, I also apologize for attacking you without letting you explain yourself. I am also pleased at meet you too," Logan added, standing up, and withdrawing his claws.  
"Logan what exactly happened to trash this place so badly?" Scott asked with curiosity. The place certainly did not look like it had been sliced to pieces because there were not objects that were sliced into three separate pieces. Some of them seemed burned; others seemed to have partly deteriorated, while others just looked broken.  
"I can answer that," Hecate spoke in her empty, frightening tone. "While I was sitting in the kitchen reading though this daily paper, I heard a car outside. I knew it was two of your allies and did not have a second thought about it, and continued reading. Soon afterwards, I heard noises in the hallway and upstairs. Voices were calling the names of the Prof. and the various X-Men. I was still reading when footsteps approached the kitchen door. The door opened, and there was silence for a while and then a man started screaming in the doorway, 'WHO THE HELL ARE YOU? ARE YOU THE REASON WHY ME AND AURORA CAN'T SEEM TO CONTACT OUR BUDDIES?' I did not understand as to why Mr. Logan was yelling, so I just told him quite simply no."  
"I assume he thought I was some kind of enemy or something because he jumped at me, with his claws extended. I simply defended myself until you came and straightened everything out," Scott just nodded and began leading Logan out the door.  
"Okay," he said calmly, "It just sounds like a simple misunderstanding. I should probably take Logan here to see Prof. X, so that he knows that he and Storm have returned. Also, you will probably meet another senior member, Aurora, also known is Storm. I shall also find her to warn her about the latest member just so that another misunderstanding does not occur," When Scott and Logan left, closing the door behind them, Scott asked Logan,  
"So, how did she defend herself?" Logan looked at the door trying to decide whether it was safe or not to speak.  
"When I jumped at her, she began to say stuff under her breath. I couldn't hear her, and I could see that her eyes weren't really looking at the newspaper but at a strange lookin' book she was cradling' in her arms," it had just occurred to Scott that she, again, had that strange looking book that was able to break through the most enforced room in the institute, "As I was about to send the chick flying, some weird lookin' gray electric bolts shot out from her and struck me, throwing me against the wall. The whole kitchen was getting' scratched, and it was taking most of my energy to just dodge in the small space."  
"When I was finally able to look up, a card was floating above her palms. I jumped over her, trying to catch her off guard, and also saw what that card was. It said 'The Lightning' Card; she was somehow making lightening through that strange card. If you hadn't come in, I don't know what else would have happened,"  
"But, when I came in, everything looked really calm except for the trashed kitchen. She just looked like she had been reading the whole time,"  
"She had never lifted her eyes from the newspaper, but the floating card in her lap was making the fireworks. Does Charles know about her capabilities," Logan finally growled.  
"Yeah. He even called for a meeting this morning to warm us to be cautious around her. He said she was like a stronger version of Wanda. He said her name Hecate, was also the name of the Greek Goddess of Witches and Magic," Scott filled Logan in on everything that he had missed, up until a while ago.  
"Oh," Logan said with a look of enlightenment, "So that's who the Charles meant, now I understand. That's right Cyclops, you and the half- pints best watch what you say and do around her, because you kiddies don't even know the half of her abilities," Scott was beginning to get slightly annoyed.  
"Well, why don't you enlighten me?" Scott asked, a hint of mockery in his voice.  
"Don't take that tone with me, besides, it's not my place to tell you all. If you all really want to know, you are going to have to talk to Charles," With that Logan walked away in the direction of Cerebro.  
Scott takes off, in a rush to wake up the rest of his friends so as to voice his outrage. In a rush he bumps into Aurora, who falls to the ground.  
"Hold on there, Scott, no need to be in such a hurry," Scott helps his senior up.  
"Storm!" Scott jumps at the chance to ask Aurora about Hecate, "You know about the new student right?"  
"Why.... yes, I do. Is there a conflict involving her?"  
"I need to know! What exactly is Hecate's power? The Prof. said it was like Wanda's except stronger. How can that be? Wanda can control things and make them do her bidding, how can anything be stronger than that?"  
"Dear child," Aurora sighed, "What you see what someone's power is, is a lot different than the story behind it. Wanda has had hers ever since she was born, and even awakened it at an early age, correct?" Scott nodded, a little confused as to where this was going.  
"Hecate has had her power, for even longer. And I believe it is safe to say, that she has definitely been around, much, much longer than Wanda,"  
"But, how can that be?" Scott was astounded, "She looks as old as Kitty! Maybe younger!"  
"Hecate's power, it is a very old power that humanity has been fascinated with, despised, and feared. It is ancient, and with an ancient power that has had time to manifest itself into an even stronger form, comes great, and terrible power," Scott is now gaping at Storm, he is trying very hard to understand everything that she is telling him, but for some reason he can't seem to grasp it where at the same time, he has a very clear idea as to what she means.  
"And that book that she has all the time..." Scott begins.  
"Probably, if not more, as old as she is," Aurora finishes his thought.  
"And if I've got all the facts right, and what you've told me is true," Scott begins to shake, "then... Hecate..." from the silence, an empty voice finishes the shaky teens sentence,  
"Is a real Wytch,"  
  
AN: Shadow_Spider- I am very happy that you are enjoying the series so much, and am going to continue until I am finished because of the great feedback. I hope you like this chapter. ej-83- I am very happy that you like it. You never know, maybe she will warm up. Thank you all for all the love! it's what keeps me going, and I hope you all like this enstallment! 


	6. The Shadow Coven

I Am My Own Worst Enemy  
The Shadow Coven  
  
Scott whipped around, and standing behind him was Hecate, still carrying around that ancient Book of Shadow with her.  
"Hecate!" Scott yelped, "I'm sorry! I didn't see you there! And if you didn't want me, or any of the other X-Men to know about your power, then I am sorry for prying! Really!" Hecate just stared at him, with an unwavering glass gaze.  
"You were just curious, that's all," Hecate had an understanding tone behind her empty voice, "You just want to know, for the safety of your friends, yourself, and to better understand me. There is nothing wrong with that," Scott was amazed. Hecate almost sounded like she was trying to form a good, friendly relationship with him.  
He just wondered whether or not she knew it is hard for the students to get close to her because of her empty eyes and voice, and that aura of fear that she gave off.  
Without another word, Hecate walked up the stairs, leaving a very surprised Scott, and a slightly amused Aurora.  
As she came onto the landing, she heard screaming, and running.  
"AH SWEAR BLUE BOY!! YOU GIVE ME BACK MAH JACKET OR ELSE YA WON'T BE WAKIN' UP FOR A WHILE!!" Rogue was running after Kurt, who thought it funny to steal his sister's jacket. Rogue was running down the hallway in just a tank top, and was getting very agitated about it.  
She was worried that she would run into someone, and accidentally set off her power. She didn't want to hurt anyone.  
But, wouldn't you know it, at that precise moment, coming around the corner was Hecate. Rogue saw her at the very last minute, but could not slow down in time.  
The end result of the collision was Rogue lying on the floor utterly astounded that Hecate was still walking, and watched as the new student continued on down the hall.  
Although the touch was quick, Rogue did not feel her power latch onto Hecate's life force as she felt their skin make contact. And when Rogue checked her mind, she did not see any memory of Hecate's!  
"Now hold on!" Rogue screamed after Hecate, "Wait up!! Ah wanna talk to ya!" Hecate stopped in the hallway, and turned around to face Rogue.  
"Are ya'll feeling okay?" Rogue asked indifferently.  
"What do you mean," came Hecate's neutral response.  
"Come on, now, ah just touched ya, bare skin to bare skin. Ya can't tell me that ya didn't feel something strange now,"  
"No. Nothing happened. I didn't feel a thing," Hecate turned around and continued on down the hall leaving a very dazed Rogue.  
She couldn't believe it, but then her eyes where drawn to a lightly glowing object in Hecate's arms. She stood there in shock at how that simple, yet ancient looking book was able to prevent the reaction of her power. Rogue broke off in a run to the Prof. library to tell him what just happened.  
"PROFESSOR!!!!!!!!" Rogue nearly broke the door off its' hinges, "PROFESSOR, WHEN AH WAS RUNNIN' DOWN THE HALL...KURT STOLE MAH JACKET...HECATE WAS COMIN' 'ROUND THE CORNER THE SAME TIME AH WAS...SKIN TA SKIN...DIDN'T EVEN PHASE HER...GLOWING BOOK...PROFESSOR WHAT IS SHE??!!"  
"Breath kid, breath," Logan growled.  
"Oh hey Logan, ah didn't see ya there," was Rogue's response as she looked at him as if she had just seen him for the first time in her life.  
"Yes Rogue, I know. This new student of ours do seem very strange doesn't she. That is why I have gathered you all again," It had just occurred to Rogue that sitting in the library was the entire X-Men team, including Logan, Storm, and Beast. And while the students looked like their eyes were about to pop out of their skulls, the elder members looked at the Professor. They all exchanged some kind of mental agreement and turned back to the younger X-Men.  
"There is one thing that we have not yet told you about Hecate," The Prof. began, "As I had said before, she has the abilities of a real witch. But the reason her powers are as strong as they are come from years and years of study and practice. And to obtain this much strength takes hundreds to thousands of years to achieve. Even then, perfection is something that is extremely difficult to obtain,"  
"So what you're saying is that she is like a prodigy, right?" asked Jean.  
"No," The Prof. responded bluntly, "Now, I want you all to take some time to think about what I am about to tell you about Hecate. This is going to give you something to really take into consideration,"  
Hearing this, the students fell silent, and waited in patience for the Prof. to continue.  
"Know this about Hecate," the Prof. started slowly so as not to rush into this juicy piece of information, "Hecate is over 5,000 years old," 


	7. The First Struggle

I Am My Own Worst Enemy

The First Struggle

A/N- Thank you to everyone who keeps reviewing and keeping my hopes up I love you all!!! Sorry about the late update, I kinda had a writer's block. Anyways- Disclaimer- I do not own X-Men Evolution or any of the characters, except my darling Hecate.

The silence in the room was even more painful than a metal concert. No one could believe what they heard, and all of the students were trying to process in their minds that Hecate is immortal.

"But....um....Prof? How can she....I mean...," Kitty stuttered.

"I know it's hard to believe," The Prof. started nodding his head with a thoughtful expression on his face, "but her coven, the group of witches she is descended from have the knowledge and power to unlock immortality, but there is still far more, and perhaps Hecate herself would like to tell you,"

The Prof. wheeled himself around so that he was facing a bookshelf on the wall near the window. It goes without saying that the students were confused, but still, watched patiently to see what he would do.

"Hecate, I believe that I am not helping to unravel the confusion that surrounds you, but maybe, you would like to do the honors?" They turned their heads to where the Prof. was looking, but no one appeared, and not a sound was heard.

Kurt's sharp ears perked at a slight fluttering sound that came from behind him. He turned around, expecting to see the intimidating Hecate, but instead saw only a white piece of paper falling towards the ground. He stared at it for a moment wondering where in the world it could have come from. Kurt bent down to pick it up, and flipped it over.

What he saw caused his eyes to be the size of dinner plates.

"Guys!" Kurt yelped, "Come here! You vont believe what I found!" Scott, Jean, Kitty, Evan, and Rogue all dashed over and surrounded Kurt. They too, accompanied Kurt's silent gasp.

"Ma god," Rogue breathed.

"She's.....beautiful," Scott's breath caught in his throat. Indeed, Scott's comment was well placed, for on the other side of the paper Kurt caught, was a picture. The picture was of a girl, probably about 15 years old. She had the most beautiful, golden, blonde hair. A perfect complexion to boot, and a sweet, honest smile was plastered on the girls face. What were most beautiful were her eyes.

"What nice green eyes she has," Scott said dreamily, seeing Jean in his head ((a/n- she has green eyes, right right?? please tell me)).

"Man, what are you talking about, those are so blue," Evan argued.

"Guys," Kurt started uneasily, "those eyes, they're the same gray color as...,"

"Mine," a cold wind swept down the spines of each of the X-Men, as an equally chilling voice cut through.

"Ah, Hecate," The Prof. greeted warmly, "I was just about to call you here," She nodded with that same empty expression. For the students, it was hard for them to believe that this attractive, expressive girl in the picture was the same, intimidating, stone cold girl they see before them.

"So, Hecate," Jean attempts to lighten the tension, she's sure the rest of her friends are feeling at the moment, "you said that was you in the picture?"

"Yes, I was not lying," Hecate, replies bluntly, her eyes closed, looking down at the ground while leaning against that wall.

"Well, I don't mean to be rude, but you look so completely different. The girl in the picture just doesn't seem like you,"

"In my coven, when it is our turn to be given the Book of Shadow, you learn the lies behind certain truths, and the truths behind certain lies, and with each passing year, comes another truth or lie, changing the way you view the world,"

The entire room now had their eyes on the witch. They knew she was not yet done with speaking. She began to speak, with a grim, dark look in her eyes. And despite the fact that she never really shows emotion, the X-Men shuddered in fear at the look in her eyes.

"This past year was just a bad year," That was all Hecate said before returning to her usual expressionless state. The students looked at each other with a mix of so many, raging emotions. There was no doubt about it, they were more than a little frightened by the girl, and yet, they couldn't help but feel sorry for her. It was obvious that having control of the Book of Shadow was a great burden, and that it took a lot to handle it.

Kurt looked back down at the picture and just noticed somebody else there with this beautiful girl.

"Hey Hecate," he asked, "Who's the guy you're with?" The X-men turned back to the picture, because none of them had seen the boy earlier either.

He was just as gorgeous as the old Hecate. His face was of that of a movie star's, and his smile was infectious. His hair was black, but looked silky smooth to the touch, and just as shiny. It was wavy and well kept with a few blonde streaks here and there. His eyes were a beautiful sky blue that really stood out against his dark hair.

They all turned back to Hecate, unsure of what her reaction would be. She walked over to Kurt, holding her same emotionless expression. She gently took the picture from his hand and stared at it for a moment. You could have heard a pin drop from the level of the silence in the room. Then, Hecate did the most surprising thing that they had ever seen her do. She smiled.

It was not a maniacal smile, nor was it smug. It was a pure, and innocent, if somewhat sad smile. There was so much passion and emotion in that simple expression, the X-Men did not think that she was capable of such a thing. They could almost see that same glow that they saw in the picture.

"He was a friend," she whispered, "A very dear friend," even Rogue couldn't help but be affected by the sadness in her voice. She placed the picture in that strange book she was always carrying around with her. She looked up at Kurt with a soft expression on her features.

"Thank you for finding that picture," she did sound, honestly grateful. She took two steps back into a corner, and sunk into the shadow, disappearing once again.

"Man, we are never gonna be able to figure her out are we Prof.?" Rogue asked shaking her head, feeling the tiniest bit sympathetic for Hecate.

"There are still many mysteries surrounding our new friend, but," The Prof. looked up at his students, hope and confidence blazing in his eyes, "she DID just open up to us. If just, a little, that is still a big step,"

The X-Men all looked at each other and nodded. They couldn't help, but feel like they now knew much more about this mysterious girl that they had before. Her strange emotions always seemed to be transmitted to the others, and they all felt that pain in her heart.

When she looked at that picture, they all could feel the weight of a painful memory, the kind that is not easy to let go of. Little did the students realize that in the hallway outside of her room, Hecate was gazing sadly at the said picture?

She wanted to forget all about it, after the catastrophe happened. She never wanted to have to see his or her own face ever again. She wanted to start over anew this year, just like that last year. But, she knew, she knew that that truth would be the only one she would never be able to accept.

A/N- DUNDUNDUNDUUUUUUUUN!!! I promise, another chapter is on its way SHORTLY. and thankyouthankyouthankyou to all the people that keep threatening me to continue. and for those of you wondering, Scarlet Witch is going to have an important role in this story. (and for people who don't like Wanda, stick around )


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